


Mark My Heart

by Leonidas1754



Category: South Park
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, BIG GAYS, Bonfires, Discussions of Mooning, Excessive S'more Eating, Fluff and Humor, High School, Ike is always right, It doesn't get very far, Kenny's a shithead, M/M, Multi, Panic Attacks, Party, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Stan Gets Sick, Stan is Dumb, Stan's an ass man, Strip Poker, Tweek cheats at Poker, fashion advice, mild burns, mild pining, mlm/wlw solidarity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-04
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:40:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25699681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Leonidas1754/pseuds/Leonidas1754
Summary: Kyle's Soulmate Mark finally appears, and with it, a cascade of events change things between him and Stan. Craig tries to knock sense into Stan, Kyle and Wendy give each other advice, and a weekend party culminates in Kyle and Stan figuring out that the more things change the more they stay the same.
Relationships: Kyle Broflovski/Stan Marsh, Minor/Background Relationships, Stan Marsh & Craig Tucker, Wendy Testaburger & Kyle Broflovski
Comments: 8
Kudos: 70





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Kyle and Stan's Mark [here](https://marketplace.zibbet.com/vectordesign/tribal-star-sun-moon-graphics-design-svg-dxf-eps-png-cdr-ai-pdf-vector-art-clipart-instant-download-digital-cut-print-files-decal-t-shirt).
> 
> So I'm still making my way through South Park, this is mostly a load of self-indulgent bullshit between playthroughs of The Fractured But Whole and binging the show itself.

Stan glanced over to where Kyle was changing and stifled a laugh in his knuckles. “Nice fucking tramp stamp, dude.”

Kyle looked at Stan in confusion. “The hell are you talking about?”

A few of the other guys peeked over from where they were changing as Kyle turned to try to get a look at his back. Token snickered. “He’s kinda right, it looks like a tramp stamp. Congrats on your soulmate Mark, though?”

“Hold still, I’ll just take a pic so you can get a good look,” Clyde said, smacking Kyle on the arm.

Stan yanked on his gym shirt while Clyde took the picture and showed it to Kyle, then stepped over to get a better look. “Huh, weird. I wonder why you got it there.”

Kyle looked mildly disgruntled. “At least it looks cool? But yea, that’s weird and I’m a little pissed about it.” He yanked his shirt on, shaking his head a little.

“You’re right though, it does look cool.” Stan could appreciate the strange overlapping sun and moon, stylized beautifully. “That’s probably like, you and your soulmate are each one, right? I wonder if you’re the sun or the moon.”

Kyle gave him a deadpan look. “Fuck off, dude.”

“I’m serious!” Stan protested. “Yea the location is a little weird, but there’s probably a reason behind it.”

“Some women like ass,” Token agreed as he passed by. “I’d take it as a good thing.”

“As an ass man myself, I wouldn’t blame her,” Stan agreed.

Kyle slugged him in the shoulder. Stan winced, grinning a little at Kyle’s reddened face. “Shut the fuck up.” Then he stomped past Stan, purposefully making his way to the gym.

Stan folded his arms behind his head as he followed, chuckling.

* * *

Kyle could hear everyone whispering and snickering about him. He hated it.

It was bad enough that people liked to tease him about his freckles, or his hair, or whatever else. And rationally, he knew it wasn’t actually that bad- a few people poking harmless fun, and most of the whispers weren’t even about him. Just like how he always felt heavier than he really was, or that his hair was so much worse than reality. People really were talking about his ‘tramp stamp’ though, and he hated it. Why did it have to get noticed like that? Ugh.

“Got any theories on who it is?” Kenny asked as he stepped up next to Kyle.

Kyle groaned. “No. What, no jabs about my new ‘tramp stamp’?” Alright, he was being a little unfair, now. He knew it, but he was kind of sick of it all.

Kenny smiled sympathetically. “Nah. I figure you’ve had enough already.”

“Sorry. It’s… Yea.” He waved a hand in Kenny’s direction. “I have no idea. If anyone’s got the same Mark, they haven’t said anything yet.”

“So either they aren’t at this school, or they haven’t gotten their own Mark yet. Ah well. Any hopes?” Kenny’s grin turned teasing.

Kyle reached up to tug a stray hair under his hat. “Shut it. Besides, you already know,” he grumbled.

Kenny snickered and elbowed him. He was probably the only one of their friends who knew about Kyle’s latent feelings for one friend of theirs in particular. “You never know. It’s possible!”

“Oh please. He’s just  _ waiting _ for Wendy’s Mark to show up on him, you know that.” Kyle shut his locker, then rubbed a hand over his face. “C’mon, let’s just get going. I don’t want to get dragged to watch baseball practice again.”

“Too late,” Kenny replied with a small grin.

Kyle groaned and looked back to see Stan jogging down the hall. “Hey!” Stan called with a grin. “You guys gonna come watch our practice?”

“Sure man, I’ve got nowhere to be,” Kenny replied, grinning as he glanced at Kyle.

Kyle sighed. He hated how easily he gave into Stan when it came to just about anything. “Yea, sure. I can do my homework while I’m there.”

Stan grinned and headed back down the hall, Kenny and Kyle following in his wake. Kyle glanced up. “... Surprised Craig’s gonna be at practice. Haven’t him and Tweek been freaking out about the Mark stuff?”

“Yea, I guess he wants to get his mind off it though. Wouldn’t you?” Stan replied, smiling faintly. “I mean, Tweek’s got his Mark now, and they’re so sure, but there’s gonna be that doubt until it actually happens, right?”

“You never get that way, though,” Kenny pointed out. “You’ve never had any doubts you’ll get your matching Mark with Wendy.”

“Yea, but I don’t have chronic anxiety problems,” Stan said.

“True. But really, you’ve never had  _ any _ doubts?” Kenny probed.

Kyle glared at him, knowing exactly what he was trying to do. The bastard. Kenny just grinned back.

“Well yea. I mean, sure, it’s probably Wendy, but it’s a wide world. It always could be someone else. I’m not too worried about it, though. When it happens, it happens!”

Kyle wished he could have such a carefree attitude about the whole thing. “Well, I hope they get it sorted soon.”

“Yea, me too. They work so well together, it’d be a damn travesty if their Marks ended up different.” Stan waved a bit as they reached the doors, then jogged to the locker rooms to change.

Kyle headed toward the bleachers. “Did you have to go and do that?”

“What? I don’t like the thought of those two ending up separate either, but at the same time, c’mon, him and Wendy?” Kenny shrugged. “Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t think that one’s meant to be. They haven’t even been together much lately.”

“Really? I thought they were.” Kyle raised a brow. “I know they have some on and off thing, but Stan hasn’t really talked to me about it after I, uh… I kinda got pissed at him one day for whining about her so he’s stopped.”

“Explains why he always talks about it with me. Yea they’ve been off for like… months.”

“Huh.” Kyle hadn’t known that. “... Whatever, doesn’t mean anything.” He dropped on the bleachers and tugged his books out of his bag to do his homework. “Just lemme do my work.”

“I’m not gonna be the one distracting you~”

Kyle sighed, trying to push Kenny’s teasing out of his head and knowing full well he was right. “Fuck you.”

* * *

Stan stepped down into the locker room and snagged his practice clothes out of the locker. Craig was already there, half-dressed and checking his phone. He was smiling softly, in that way Stan had learned over the years was purely reserved for Tweek.

“It’s so cute when you smile like that~” Stan teased.

Craig glanced up, smile disappearing into a glare for Stan. “The fuck do you want.”

Stan chuckled. “Just messing around. How’s Tweek holding up?”

Craig sighed. “Freaking out, no real surprise. I’ve tried to reassure him, but short of showing him the Mark, it’s not gonna let up for him. Wish it’d just appear already.”

“You sound pretty sure.” Stan pulled off his shirt. “How do you know?”

“How do I know what?” Craig asked, raising a brow.

Stan shrugged. “How do you know for sure? I mean… You can’t until you see it, right?”

“Well… I have seen it. Just not on me.” Craig rubbed his neck. “I dunno, I guess it’s… When I first saw it, it worried me, because of course I had that thought that mine wouldn’t be the same. But the longer I’ve looked at it, I just… know. I see it and I just think ‘that’s mine.’ Get it?”

“Huh… Yea, I follow. Still, hope you get yours soon, for Tweek’s sake. Poor bastard must be out of his mind with stress.” Stan smiled sympathetically.

Craig groaned and tugged on his shirt. “No kidding. Wish I could calm him down more.”

When Craig tugged off his jeans, something on his right ankle caught Stan’s attention. “... Hey Craig, what’s Tweek’s Mark again?”

“It’s some abstract curve bullshit around his left ankle. Why?” Craig looked at him as he yanked the shorts out of the locker.

Stan just grinned and pointed down. Craig followed his direction, eyes widening as he spotted the Mark. “... Fuck yes.” He quickly yanked on his shorts. “Might have to start practice without me.”

“Eh, like we actually need you,” Stan joked, earning a punch in the shoulder.

Craig quickly yanked on his shoes before sprinting outside, Stan scrambling after him. He wanted to see Tweek’s reaction as well. Craig ran full pelt at the bleachers and tackled Tweek off of where he was sitting, Tweek yelping loudly.

“Fucking hell, Craig, what’s gotten into you?” Kyle shouted, holding his math textbook close to his chest.

“He got his Mark,” Stan explained as he caught up, laughing between his pants.

“Oh…” Kyle glanced to the two where they were entwined on the ground.

Tweek squealed as Craig went straight for his neck. Stan’s gaze flicked to their ankles, their matching marks side by side. Eventually Tweek managed to push Craig away enough to gasp out that he wanted to see.

Stan chuckled as he watched them sit and Tweek compare their marks intently. Kyle shook his head while Kenny laughed.

“Well, that settles that. You two are just disgustingly in love and destined to remain totally gross,” Kenny teased.

Tweek glared at Kenny, but Stan could see how the tension gushed from him, leaving him limp in Craig’s grasp. Craig tugged Tweek into his lap and kissed his cheek, holding him tightly.

“Tucker, Marsh, c’mon! You can cuddle your boyfriend later, asshole!” one of their teammates shouted.

“Fuck you!” Craig shouted back, but he untangled himself from Tweek anyway. 

Stan laughed as they jogged back to the rest of the team. “Dude, I’m jealous of you. You’ve got it made.”

Craig cracked up laughing. “Seriously? You, jealous of me? Don’t be weird.”

Shrugging, Stan grabbed his glove and a ball. He couldn’t quite shake Craig’s words about being so sure from his mind, however. He should text Wendy and see her Mark again. Then he could be sure, perhaps.

* * *

Kyle finally shut his textbook with a snap. “Ugh, that sucked. I can never get these trig equations straight.”

“Well, I can’t get them gay either, so we’re both fucked,” Tweek said.

Kenny snorted in laughter, shaking his head. “Holy shit, Tweek, that was  _ terrible. _ ”

“Yea, I gotta agree, that was pretty bad.” Kyle shook his head, smiling. “You’re a lot more relaxed now, though.”

Tweek nodded. “Yea. I mean, he got his Mark, we match, it’s… Thank fuck.” Tweek rubbed his hands over his face. “I was so fucking scared. I mean, you hear stories of people who say fuck their soulmates and go with someone else, but like… I think the guilt would actually kill me, if I did that, because then we’d be leaving two people in the lurch and it’s just- Argh!”

“Hey, hey, easy now,” Kyle said, patting Tweek’s back. “Don’t work yourself up all over again. You don’t have to worry about that now.”

“Worry about what now?”

Kyle looked up to see Wendy approaching the stands, smiling. Ugh, not what he needed right now. He knew he wasn’t exactly fair to Wendy sometimes, a touch jealous over Stan, but he liked to think he’d gotten better about it over the years. Or at least, better at hiding it.

“Craig’s Mark appeared, and they match! So no more anxiety about them not being soulmates, though Tweek nearly worked himself up again anyway,” Kenny explained.

“That’s great news!” Wendy replied with a bright smile. “That reminds me- I heard you got your Mark too, Kyle!”

Kyle groaned. “Yea, you hear where too?”

“Hah, yes, that’s a bit unfortunate for everyone to end up knowing. Still, it’s good to have! Can I see it? I didn’t actually hear what it looked like, just where it was.” Wendy sat near them on the stands.

Frowning, Kyle put his math book back in his bag. “Why do you want to see? It’s definitely not matching yours, I’m sure.”

“Well no, I doubt that, but I could keep an eye out for it! Besides, I just really enjoy seeing others’ Marks, they’re always so interesting.” Wendy smiled at him.

Kyle shook his head, brushing his own minor hostilities off. She clearly had no malicious intent, and really, he was being ridiculous. So he turned and tugged up his shirt just enough to show it.

“Wow… That looks really neat, Kyle! A lot more interesting than mine, at the very least,” Wendy said with a giggle. “I’ll admit I’m really glad mine’s not nearly on my ass, though.”

Letting go of his shirt, Kyle turned to her again. “What is yours, anyway? I don’t think I ever saw it myself.”

Wendy tugged up the sleeve of her jacket over her elbow, revealing the Mark just below the joint. “There, see it?” It was a star, appearing to be made of cross-stitches rather than simple linework. “I do love it, though. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.”

“It’s nice.” Kyle shrugged and zipped up his bag. “What are you doing here, anyway?”

“Oh! I came to see Stan. Practice should be over soon, right?”

And just like that, Kyle was jealous all over again. Ugh. This was ridiculous. “Yea, I think so.”

Kenny, being  _ ever _ so helpful, decided to pitch in to Kyle’s frustration. “Hey Stan! Are you guys done yet?” he called across the field.

Instead of answering, Stan came jogging over. He grinned, and Kyle took in the thin sheen of sweat across his skin. He was practically glowing from the satisfying workout. Kyle wanted to kick himself for even looking. “What’s up?” he asked as he caught his breath. “I was actually gonna text you, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Oh, what was it?” Wendy asked.

“Could I see your Mark again? Something Craig was talking about has me thinking.” Stan smiled.

Wendy subtly bit her lip. Stan didn’t notice it, but Kyle did. And it confused the hell out of him. But the look was gone so fast, Kyle wasn’t entirely sure he didn’t imagine it. Still, she showed him her Mark, sleeve still pulled up from showing Kyle. “Thinking about what?”

“Well, about- Ah, never mind. He’d probably kick my ass if he realized I was talking about it to someone else.” Stan chuckled. “Hey, you wanna go grab a burger or something?”

And Kyle was out. He wasn’t up for dealing with this today. So he slung his bag over his shoulder and gave them all a lazy wave. “See you guys later.”

“Oh, uh, see you later Kyle!” Stan got out, the others echoing him. He couldn’t help but wonder why Kyle was leaving all of a sudden. It was disappointing, though. The two of them seemed to be hanging out less and less lately.

Kyle stretched his arms over his head as he walked away, and Stan caught a glimpse of the Mark sitting just above the curve of his ass.

Man, whoever Kyle’s soulmate was, she was a lucky bitch.

“Stan?”

Stan jumped, looking back to Wendy. “Huh? Oh, sorry.”

“That’s fine. I think I’m just gonna head home, I’m not feeling so fantastic today.” Wendy smiled weakly.

“Oh, alright. I’ll see you later, then, hope you feel better!” Stan smiled at her.

It was less disappointing to watch her walk away. Huh. Well, if she wasn’t feeling well, that wasn’t her fault, and it wasn’t as if she didn’t want to be around him. He turned to see Kenny grinning wolfishly at him. “... What?”

“Eh, nothing. You’re just fun to watch.” Kenny continued to grin, reclining in the bleachers. Tweek had already hopped down to leave with his boyfriend, leaving the two of them basically alone.

Stan raised a brow. “Fun to watch? What do you mean by that?”

Kenny seemed to consider it for a few moments before shrugging and standing up. “Eh, don’t worry about it. I’m outta here.”

Stan watched Kenny leave as well. He was simply lost, now. But Kenny enjoyed being a cryptic bastard sometimes, so it probably wasn’t worth worrying about. Stan simply headed back toward the locker room to shower and dress back in his regular clothes.

* * *

“Kyle? Kyle, wait up!”

Kyle turned to see Wendy running after him. His brows furrowed in confusion. “Wendy? What are you doing here?”

She panted softly as she caught up. “Ugh… I need to talk with you. That’s why I really came today, I just… I didn’t want to say it in front of the others.”

Kyle tilted his head. “Me? But why?”

“It’s Stan.” She gripped the strap of her bag. For the first time Kyle had ever seen, Wendy looked incredibly stressed, allowing Kyle to see it. “I… Kyle, I already know who my soulmate is.”

Kyle’s heart nearly stopped. “You… what?”

“I already know. We- We’re keeping it secret, for now. But I know Stan really thinks it’ll be him and… Oh God, Kyle, I don’t know how to tell him it’s not, that’s why I need your help. You’re his best friend, maybe you could… I don’t know.” Wendy shook her head.

Kyle’s jealousy dissipated as fast as it had grown. “Oh…”

“Yea.” Wendy sighed, composing herself again. “I’m sorry, I just- I’ve been really worried about this.”

It was strangely deflating, in a way. Kyle had always been somewhat jealous, but at the same time… It was Wendy. She was a nice girl, and she did seem to make Stan happy. Kyle could have learned to live with her being Stan’s soulmate.

“Sorry. I really don’t know what to do.” Kyle rubbed his neck.

Wendy pursed her lips. “Yea… I don’t blame you. At least you won’t have to deal with worrying about me anymore.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that?” Kyle’s brow furrowed.

Covering her mouth, Wendy giggled. “Well, when you make it your business to know everyone else’s, you… learn to pick up on some things. Like how you were always jealous of the attention Stan gave me.”

“Oh.” And that was a sucker punch. “I didn’t think it was that obvious.”

“It’s not, I promise. I mean, no one else really knows, right?”

“Kenny knows. But I clued him in on it myself, so yea.” Kyle wasn’t really sure what else to say.

Wendy smiled. “I never held it against you. I mean, it sucks to see your crush like someone else, right? It doesn’t really matter who it is or who you are or anything like that.”

“Yea, but now it’s just gonna be someone else.”

“It doesn’t have to be.” Wendy smiled softly. “There’s always a chance it’s you.”

Kyle shook his head. “Don’t even start that.”

“Alright, alright. Sorry.”

“It’s fine.” Kyle groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. “I’ll try to think of something, okay?”

Wendy let out a soft sound of relief. “Thank you. Could I give you a little advice in return?”

“If it’s about Stan, I don’t wanna hear it.” Kyle gave her a deadpan look.

Giggling, Wendy shook her head. “It’s not, promise. Just about your Mark in general. I think you should start wearing shorter shirts and lower-waisted shorts.”

“Uh…” Kyle made a bit of a face. “I dunno about that. I mean… You’re looking at me, right? I’m not exactly Adonis, here.” He poked at his own stomach.

“Kyle, come on. You’re not fat. You’ve got a little pudge, but that’s not a bad thing. Besides, I’m not saying wear belly shirts or something, just give enough of a difference to start seeing your waistline, especially where your Mark is.” Wendy grinned and poked at his chest. “I could totally help you pick out some new clothes if you want.”

Kyle rubbed his neck. He couldn’t believe he was even considering this, but… “My mom’s taking me out clothes shopping soon, since mine are getting a bit small. I mean, look at this.” He raised his arms high overhead to show her how his shirt rode up, right past his belly button.

“Honestly, that’s perfect- exactly what I’m talking about. Probably just get new ones that are on the shorter side that way they aren’t tight around your arms and stuff.” Wendy clapped her hands together. “Let me know when you go, and I can come with you!”

The hopeful look in her eyes was like a slap in Kyle’s face, something to wake him up and make him see things for what they really were. This was Wendy extending an olive branch, wanting the tension between them gone. And Kyle really wanted to take it. So he did.

“Yea,” Kyle said with a small smile. “I’ll ask my mom, but she probably won’t have a problem with it. Just remember you get  _ suggestions _ alright? I get the final say.”

Wendy laughed. “Of course, of course. You won’t regret it, I promise.”

* * *

Stan groaned as he dropped into his desk chair. Craig glanced over, raising a brow. “Shit weekend?”

“Yea… Got fucking food poisoning from that new resturant near the Peppermint Hippo Friday night, spent the entire fucking weekend heaving my guts. Still feel like garbage today, but I’m keeping food down, at least.” Stan rubbed a hand over his face before taking a drink of water.

Craig grimaced. “That sounds rough as hell, man.”

Nodding, Stan grinned at him. “I bet your weekend was a lot better, though, huh?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Fuck off, it’s none of your business.” The hint of a grin gave Craig away anyway.

“Nice.”

Stan was quickly distracted, however, by the sight of a familiar face entering the room. Kyle stepped in, looking drowsy as he usually did in the mornings. “Is he wearing new shit?” Craig asked softly as he leaned over to Stan. Stan just nodded slightly.

Kyle usually wore clothing that covered him quite a bit, refraining from showing skin to hide his freckles and the fact that he’d put on a touch of weight overall. It was enough to make his thighs and stomach wiggle a bit during gym, but nothing really beyond that. He was still pretty insecure about it, though.

That was probably the biggest reason his new change of clothes was such a shock. While he was still wearing one of his usual hats, his shirt was some black sleeveless tank with a graffiti-type graphic. It seemed cut off weirdly, with a tie resting just in front of his belly button. It really showed off the smattering of freckles that played across his shoulders and down his forearms. His cargo shorts also sat lower on his hips than they usually would, just enough to give a glimpse of the dip of his hips. When he turned around to sit down, Stan got a perfect look at his Mark. His mouth felt strangely dry.

Craig snorted beside him. “Having a fashion crisis, Broflovski?”

Kyle snorted as he leaned back, turning to rest an arm on Stan’s desk so he could look at Craig. “I was growing out of my old clothes so my mom took me shopping for a new wardrobe. Wendy found us and decided I desperately needed her advice. I… might’ve taken a few tips.” His cheeks were slightly pink as he admitted it.

“Didn’t think you’d be comfortable wearing anything like that.” Craig raised a brow.

Kyle rubbed his neck. “Not gonna lie, I’m not really. But… fake it ‘till you make it, right?”

Shrugging one shoulder, Craig tugged his phone from his pocket. “Not gonna lie, it looks good. Wish I could convince Tweek to wear something like that, though he couldn’t fill it out as well.”

“Uh… Thanks?” Kyle looked somewhat pleased at the unexpected compliment. He turned back around in his seat to face the front.

Stan glanced down, able to perfectly see Kyle’s Mark framed in the gap in the seat. He felt a little blindsided by this turn of events. After a moment, though, he found himself grinning. He leaned forward and lightly hit Kyle’s shoulder. “Nice, dude!” he said quietly. “It’s awesome to see you trying something like this.”

Kyle looked back over his shoulder, seeming surprised. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well, you’ve been kinda insecure about this stuff, right? So it’s cool to see you trying new shit.” Stan smiled wider at him. “I’m gonna have to thank Wendy for helping you out.”

Kyle looked awkward. “Don’t. She just helped me ‘cause I’m helping her with something.” He turned back around, ducking his head as he opened a book.

Stan tilted his head. Kyle was helping Wendy with something? That was unexpected. But he wasn’t able to ask about it further as class started. So he put it from his mind and opened his textbook, figuring he could ask about it later.

As class went on, however, Stan found himself drifting. That wasn’t too surprising, really, he was always distracted when it came to his morning classes. Usually, though, he would think about baseball, or his favorite games, or a TV show he was looking forward to. This time, however, he found his mind- and eyes- drifting down to the small if Kyle’s back.

He was leaning forward in his chair as he wrote, leaving his Mark bare for Stan’s gaze. And Stan’s mouth felt dry all over again. Nausea began to overtake him as well, and he wondered if he was still sick from his incident with food poisoning. He’d felt fine earlier, though.

He was completely zoned out until the bell rang, making him jolt up in his seat. God, what was wrong with him today? Kyle was already leaving and Stan scrambled to gather his books. Craig stood beside him, already packed up. He raised a brow at Stan.

“You okay?” Craig asked.

Stan nodded with a weak smile. “Yea, I’m fine. Think I’m just still queasy from the food poisoning.”

Craig looked like he didn’t believe it, but left anyway, and Stan followed. It was just the remains of being sick over the weekend, that had to be it.

* * *

Stan hated having gym as his second to last period, it was annoying as hell. But right now, he could barely think of his annoyance. Kyle was changing beside him as usual, and Stan just felt completely fucking sick. He sat down on the bench, groaning softly.

“Are you okay..?” Kyle asked as he looked over to Stan.

Stan groaned softly, refusing to look at Kyle. “Got sick over the weekend, think I might still be,” he admitted.

“Shit, do you need to go to the nu-”

“I’ll take him.”

Stan looked up in surprise to see Craig standing there, not even changed. Kyle looked confused. “You will?”

“I’m gonna have to tell our coach he won't be coming to practice anyway, just get going.” Craig crossed his arms.

Kyle looked like he wanted to argue, but instead shook his head and headed toward the gym. Craig grabbed his arm.

“C’mon, jackass, let’s go.”

Stan stumbled up and followed after him. Craig tugged him down the hall, but Stan realized quickly that they weren’t heading for the nurse’s office. “Hey wait, where are we-”

“Shut up.” Craig yanked him through a door and into a janitor’s closet, locking it behind himself. “Alright, what’s going on.”

Stan’s brows furrowed. “I told you, it’s-”

“No it’s not.” Craig was a hard wall in front of him. “We share most of our classes. You were fine all day except for first period, lunch, and now. You know what those three things have in common, Stan?”

“No, but I have a feeling you’re about to tell me,” Stan deadpanned. He had no idea what had gotten into Craig, and it was kind of spooking him if he was honest.

“Kyle.” Craig shook his head. “Come on, Stan. You should know yourself well enough by now.”

“What does Kyle have to do with me getting sick?” Stan asked, laughing weakly. “You’re being ridiculous.”

Craig’s look could melt lead. “Stan, I swear to god, I  _ will _ knock some sense into you if I need to.”

“What’s Kyle got to do with anything?” God, Stan felt absolutely sick to his stomach. “I just need to see the nurse, now get the hell out of the way.”

“Are you kidding me? Stan-”

“Get out of the way, Craig!” Stan shoved him with his shoulder and forced the door open. He walked down the hall toward the nurse’s office, not waiting for Craig this time.

Stan heard the door to the janitor’s closet slam and wondered just what the hell he’d done to piss off Craig. It had to be all in his head, though, whatever the hell Craig thought was going on. Stan was just still a little sick. The food at that restaurant had been pretty bad, everyone in his family was feeling like crap after going there. He’d just been hit a little harder than the rest. In a few days, everything would go back to normal.


	2. Chapter 2

Things didn’t go back to normal.

Kyle’s new wardrobe wasn’t made up entirely of those more daring clothes, but Stan found himself taking note anyway. Had the cloth always fit him like that? Or had he just gotten more clothes that fit a bit snug? Was he trying to impress someone? Why did that make Stan feel worse?

Stan was a goddamn disaster, and people were starting to really notice. Stan found himself constantly making excuses, telling people he’d be fine, it was just a bug, he’d be alright. So Friday, Stan stayed home, in bed. He didn’t feel so sick at home, but he didn’t feel all that well, either. He mostly dozed through the day, until there was a knock on his door frame.

Stan sat up to see Kyle standing in the doorway, looking worried. He smiled faintly in spite of it. “Hey. You look like shit.”

Stomach lurching, Stan tried desperately to swallow it down. “Feel like shit.”

“Well, unfortunately I didn’t bring you anything good. Got your class work.” Kyle chuckled and unloaded the books from his bag onto Stan’s desk. “At least you’ve got all weekend to do it. I’ll help you out, if you need.”

Stan’s eyes gravitated to Kyle’s back when he turned, watching that shortened tank top slide up as Kyle placed the books on the desk, then back down as he fished in his bag again. His Mark… Stan wanted to touch it so badly. Still, he forced his gaze back up when Kyle turned to him again. “Thanks. I’ll probably be fine.”

“Yea…” Kyle sat on the computer desk chair. “Seems like we’ve both been having crap weeks, huh?”

“What do you mean? I know I’ve been sick, but…” Stan didn’t notice anything wrong with Kyle this week.

Kyle rubbed his neck. “Well, I guess it’s nothing unusual for me, just… more of the usual, really. Since I changed my look, people have been staring at me a lot more. Like, actually staring, not just in my head. And I know it’s probably nothing, but you know how it gets.”

“Yea…” Stan knew Kyle’s mind could get to him sometimes about what others thought of his looks. “Still, if they think you look good… That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“I guess.” Kyle didn’t look so sure. “I guess all that really matters is what I think. And… my soulmate, if I knew who they were.”

“If they were really your soulmate, they’d think you look good no matter what.” Better than good, even. Stan hated it.

Kyle laughed softly. “Yea. Well, I’d hang out, but I don’t wanna catch whatever the hell you have, man. See you later.”

“See ya…” Stan’s ribcage felt entirely too tight as he watched Kyle leave, shirt riding up as he adjusted his backpack.

Stan just kept staring, even long after Kyle was gone. His mind was a whirl. He needed… He needed fresh air. He got up and shoved on a pair of sweatpants and his shoes, not telling his parents where he was going. He’d apologize later, he just needed to get out before he threw up again.

He walked down the street, stuffing his hands in his pockets. After a few moments, he turned in the direction of Craig’s house. Maybe… Maybe he was onto something. Either way, Stan felt awful, and if it wasn’t a stomach bug…

Knocking on the door, Stan glanced up at Craig’s window. Craig’s father opened the door, looking surprised. “Oh, hey Stanley. Can we help you?”

“Wanted to talk to Craig. Is he home?”

“Yea, you caught him here for once. Craig!” Mr. Tucker called upstairs. “You’ve got a friend here to talk to you!”

Craig appeared from his room and came halfway down the stairs, raising a brow in surprise. “Stan? The fuck are you doing here?”

“... Can we talk?”

Craig considered him for a moment before nodding and heading back up to his room. Stan nodded to Mr. Tucker before heading up the stairs himself. Craig dropped onto his computer chair, leaning back and crossing his arms. “Alright. What do you want.”

Stan kicked the door shut with his heel, feeling strangely chilled. “... I feel sick. You seem to think it’s not just a bug.”

“I know damn well it’s not just a bug. And for whatever reason, you won’t fucking admit it to yourself.” Craig sounded miffed. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Stan leaned against the door. “I feel sick and shaky and stressed as all hell and every time I consider going back to school it just starts all over again.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “... Kyle came to give me my schoolwork.”

Craig’s expression softened a touch. “Yea?”

Stan swallowed. “... Has he always been like that?”

“Like what?”

“Like…  _ that _ .”

Craig sighed and stood up. “I hate to break it to you, Stan, but yea, he has. You both have. The only thing that’s really changed lately is Kyle getting his Mark and wearing some different clothes than usual sometimes, and you having a fucking meltdown.”

Stan slid to the floor. He hugged his knees to his chest, leaning his forehead against them. “Before you got your Mark, when you saw Tweek’s, you… You were so sure. I can’t stop looking at his.” His breaths picked up and he couldn’t stop them. “I can’t-”

“Shhh, shhh, alright, enough for now.” Craig grabbed a candle off his desk and kneeled in front of him. “Stan, I need you to follow my directions, alright? Think you can do that?”

“Maybe?” His chest was so tight.

“Close your eyes and lift your head.”

Stan closed his eyes, lifting his head up despite feeling like he’d just vomit again. Something was wedged between his legs and chest.

“That’s a lavender candle. I’m not going to light it, just hold it. Do you think you could do even breaths if I counted with you?”

Some distant part of Stan’s mind registered that Craig had done this before. Probably a lot. For Tweek. “Y-yea, I think.”

“Alright. Just focus on my voice and the candle in your hands. In, two, three, four… Out, two, three, four…”

For a long time, they sat like that, Stan desperately trying to even his breathing, Craig patiently counting for him, waiting, staying with him. And finally, the pounding in Stan’s chest began to fade, the pressure subsiding, and he opened his eyes. Craig was still sitting in front of him, looking concerned.

“... A little better?”

Stan nodded slightly. “Yea. You’re… practiced.”

“Yea, well… I’d be a shit boyfriend if I haven’t learned a few ways to deal with panic attacks by now. Never anticipated I’d need to use them on someone other than Tweek, though.” Craig pursed his lips. “I also didn’t expect you to have one facing this. I thought you’d freak out, sure, stress a bit, but a panic attack? Is the possibility of you liking Kyle really that bad to you?”

“I don’t know,” Stan admitted, feeling guilty. “I… We’re not… We’ve never been like that. Have we?” His mind was reeling, and he wasn’t even sure anymore.

“You haven’t been like me and Tweek, sure. But that’s us.” Craig took the candle from his hands and carefully put it back on his desk. “You two have been close as hell for as long as I’ve known you, though. And that’s a long time.”

“Yea.” Stan folded his arms over his knees again. “I… When I look at his mark, I just feel… I don’t even know what. And I want to touch it. But that’s… I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“Because it’d be weird? Because he’d probably hate it? Because I’m not…” The word died in Stan’s throat.

“Gay?” Craig finished with a raised brow.

Stan winced. “I always thought… Wendy…”

“Yea, well, sometimes we’re wrong. It still might be, but it might not be. And clearly you trying to shove down this… whatever the hell you’re feeling toward Kyle isn’t healthy for you. You’re literally making yourself sick, and you haven’t done that since elementary school,” Craig pointed out.

“Yea.” Stan stared at his knees. “I don’t… I don’t know what’s going on with me.”

Craig stayed quiet for a bit. Then he moved, sitting beside Stan. “You don’t have to.”

“What?” Stan looked up, frowning. “But you just said-”

“It’s not the not knowing that’s killing you, Stan. It's not admitting it.” Craig leaned back, closing his eyes. “If there’s one thing I’ve learned while dating Tweek… You have to be honest, even if it’s only with yourself. If I try to fight whatever’s going on in my head, I just exhaust myself.”

Stan nodded slightly. It made some sense, at least. “I… I don’t know why I’m feeling this way. But I am. When I see his mark, I feel… I dunno. My mouth goes all dry and I want to touch it, badly. But it’s not just when I see it. I just… I keep wanting to see it too.”

Craig opened his eyes, looking at Stan again. “Maybe it’s the obvious and you’re realizing you have feelings for him. Or maybe you just have some latent fetish for tramp stamps,” he added with a slight smirk.

Elbowing him, Stan rolled his eyes, but it made him laugh anyways. “Fuck you.”

“Sorry, taken.” Craig chuckled. “I’m serious, though. People are stupid and complicated and it’s fine not to understand what’s going on with you yet.”

Stan nodded, letting his head fall back. “... I’m scared, too. Of what Wendy would think. I’ve always… Me and her, you know? I always thought it’d be us. But we haven’t been together for a while and honestly I… When I see her mark, there’s nothing, not really. It’s a nice mark, but I don’t… feel anything about it. Not like Kyle’s.”

“I get it.” Craig let his own head fall back as well. “Part of your stress comes from the unexpectedness of it. You’ve been anticipating things one way so long the idea it might go another is stressful as fuck.”

“I always figured I could be wrong, sure. But having a direct… thing come up, yea.” And it felt like a vice was being lifted from his entire being. Stan sighed, letting the tension leak out of him. Craig was right. He just needed to face it. “Thanks, Craig.”

“Dude, I’m just glad you’re facing it. It’s been fucking killing me all week. I thought you were just being a total moron, but it’s clear there was more to it.” Craig stood and offered a hand to Stan.

Stan took it, grunting as he stood. “Yea. I dunno. It’s not… It’s still Kyle. It’s just Kyle.”

“Yup. You need a ride home? Panic attacks take a lot out of you and you look dead on your feet,” Craig offered.

“Nah, I think I could still do with the fresh air still. I owe you big time, though.” Stan lightly punched his shoulder.

Craig chuckled. “I’ll hold you to that. See you later, man.”

“See you.” Stan gave him a little wave and headed out, waving to Mr. Tucker before leaving.

It was getting dark by the time he got outside, and he realized he must’ve been in Craig’s room for nearly an hour. No wonder he was dead tired if he’d had a panic attack that long. He shook his head and just walked home. He had a lot of thinking to do this weekend.

* * *

Something had changed over the weekend. Kyle just wasn’t sure what.

Stan seemed so… relaxed when Kyle entered first period Monday morning. He smiled brightly as Kyle approached. “Morning!”

“You seem a lot better,” Kyle pointed out.

Stan rubbed his neck, chuckling. “Yea, well- Got some things sorted out, so it’s all good now.”

Kyle caught a flicker of a smirk on Craig’s impassive face. That wasn’t exactly comforting. “Well, glad you’re okay now.”

“How was your weekend?” Stan asked.

“Alright. Spent half of it doing homework and half of it considering returning these new clothes.” He didn’t mention spending a fair bit of time worrying about Stan.

Stan laughed. “Well, glad you kept them.”

“Yea?”

“Yea man, it looks good. Have a little more confidence!” Stan grinned brightly. “Maybe finally lose the hat, yea?”

Kyle’s cheeks were red, he just knew it. He’d worn another of those ridiculous short tank tops today, green with autumn leaves this time. “Oh, well… thanks.” He turned around to hide his face in his book, not really knowing how to respond to that.

Maybe it was just his imagination, but he could swear he felt eyes on his lower back. He shivered, reaching back to tug his shirt down. It didn’t do him much good though, the shirt simply riding back up again.

People kept staring at him too. The jokes about his tramp stamp of a Mark had died down, at least, people already moving onto the next piece of juicy gossip and whatnot. People still looked, though, his new wardrobe likely at fault for that. And it made him uneasy, but at the same time, there was something almost strangely exciting to it.

“I told you,” Wendy said when he mentioned it to her after school was out. “You look great, and you should own it. If you feel sexy, you are sexy, end of story.”

Kyle spluttered somewhat. “I don’t know if I want to be  _ sexy _ , that’s kind of… I dunno, weird?”

“Whatever you say. I want to talk to Stan since he’s feeling better now, but I kind of feel bad since I’ll probably just ruin his mood again…” Wendy sighed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

“Speaking of Stan, he seems a lot better, but he was also kind of weird today?” Kyle frowned.

“Weird how?”

“He said he was happy I decided not to return the new clothes, because I looked good.” Kyle rubbed his neck. “Also said I should take off my hat.”

“He’s right, you know.” Wendy reached up to his head. “Come here…”

“Wendy, that’s-” Kyle grimaced as she tugged his hat off, feeling the frizz practically explode off his scalp. He ran a hand through it. “Ugh. This was all a mistake, I just want to go home and change-”

“Oh Kyle, come on.” Wendy chuckled. “Your hair is fine, it’s always been fine. Here.” She reached up, fluffing up his hair a bit. As if it needed more frizz. “Honestly, you need to relax a little. Be more confident. There’s someone meant for you, and only you. And they’re going to love you for who you are.”

Kyle sighed, crossing his arms. “Whatever. This is ridiculous.” He shook his head. “You should talk to Stan. Better to pull the band-aid off now, right? If you wait for him to get his Mark, it could be ages, and whenever it does happen, he’ll probably get freaked out if it’s not yours.”

“Yes, you’re right.” Wendy took a deep breath. “Alright. Today, I’ll catch him before practice.”

“I’ll be out on the bleachers, if you need to find me afterwards. Or if Stan needs a shoulder to cry on.” Kyle sighed, not enjoying the idea, but he figured he might as well see it through.

“Thanks Kyle, I appreciate it.” Wendy quickly pecked his cheek before jogging off.

It was only when he closed his locker that Kyle realized she’d taken his hat. He groaned and let his head fall against it with a slight clang. He felt utterly ridiculous.

A wolf whistle made him jump and whirl around, only to see Kenny grinning like the cat who ate the canary. Kyle just glared at him. “You are not helping anything.”

“Aw, thank you~”

* * *

“Stan? Stan wait up a moment!”

Stan turned around at the sound of Wendy’s voice. She smiled, adjusting her grip on her bag as she caught up. “What’s up?”

“I need to talk to you about something. In private?” she said, glancing at Craig.

Craig raised a brow, but took the hint and headed outside, muttering that they better not take too long. Stan tilted his head, looking somewhat concerned. “Is everything okay?”

Wendy bit her lip and tugged him aside, into a nearby now-empty classroom. “Um, Stan… There’s something I need to tell you.”

Stan looked even more concerned at that. “Are you okay? Are you in trouble, do you need help?”

“No, no, that’s not- I’m alright, Stan,” she said with a soft laugh. Really, she’d been almost disappointed it wasn’t Stan when she got down from the high of finding out who her soulmate really was. “It’s actually about… Well…”

Stan sat down on one of the desks. He still looked a little worried, and Wendy bit her lip. Just be straightforward, Kyle had told her. Tell him exactly what was going on and how she felt about it.

“Stan, it’s really unlikely that you’re my soulmate.”

It really did feel like ripping off a band-aid, for Wendy at least. Stan simply looked confused. “Huh?”

“I’ve- I mean, I know that three or more people having the same Mark can happen, but it’s rare, and- And I’ve already found the other person with my Mark.” Wendy bit her lip, placing her hand over her opposite elbow. The black lines almost felt burning beneath her skin.

“Oh…” Stan paused. “How… How long have you known?”

“It’s been a couple weeks now. We- We talked about it and agreed to not go public with it until I talked with you. Because… I know you were really thinking it would be you. There’s still a chance, of course, but… It’s really unlikely, you know? And I didn’t want you to suddenly get your Mark and realize it’s not mine and… I don’t know.” Wendy sighed, glad to at least get the weight off her chest.

The only response Stan gave at that point was a faint hum of acknowledgement. When Wendy looked up, she was surprised to find he didn’t seem upset. Just… thoughtful.

“Are you happy with them? Whoever it is,” Stan finally asked.

“Well… It’s too soon to tell, but… We’re soulmates, right? We’re working it out.” Wendy folded her hands together. “I kind of expected you to be more upset… Not that I want that, of course, it’s just-”

“No, no, I get it. It  _ is _ kind of disappointing, but… I guess things have changed a little, lately.”

Wendy’s brows furrowed. “Changed? What do you mean by that?”

Stan shook his head. “Forget it, it’d be too hard to explain. There was actually something I wanted to say to you too.”

“Oh?” Wendy’s mind was reeling a touch from this unexpected turn of events.

“I wanted to thank you for helping Kyle out with the clothing stuff. You went to him for advice about this, didn’t you?” Stan grinned.

Laughing awkwardly, Wendy nodded. “Was it that obvious?”

“Well, not really. But you’re suddenly giving him fashion advice, and Kyle outright said you were helping him because he was helping you with something. I had no idea what it could be, but this would answer it pretty well.” Stan shrugged.

Wendy smiled faintly. “Well, I don’t think he appreciates it all that much. I accidentally took his hat today, too,” she admitted, tugging it from her bag. “I took it off earlier when I was agreeing with what he told me you said, that he should take it off. I didn’t realize I still had it in hand until I was halfway across the school, but I really wanted to catch you before practice.”

“You better give that back, he’s probably freaking out,” Stan said with a laugh. “But seriously, it’s like… I dunno. I think it’s good for him? Confidence and all that.”

Wendy raised a brow, picking up an undertone of  _ something _ in Stan’s voice. “Uh-huh… Well, I’m glad we’ve gotten this all sorted out.”

“Yea, me too. Oh, wait, gimme Kyle’s hat.”

“What? Why?”

Stan grinned wider. “C’mon, just give it here!”

“Okay, okay!” Wendy laughed softly and passed the familiar green hat to Stan. “I’ll see you later, Stan.”

“See you later!” Stan jogged out of the classroom, presumably heading to practice.

Wendy shook her head and closed her bag. That was… interesting. And she got the feeling it was far worse for her than for Stan. That was strange. As she headed outside to tell Kyle how it had gone, she spotted his bag on the bleachers, but he was instead on the diamond, running full plent after Stan.

“STAN! GET BACK HERE!”

Stan let out what could only be described as a shriek as he ran away from Kyle. Wendy wandered over to the bleachers as she watched them. “... Huh. Stan’s a baseball player and a lot taller, but Kyle’s keeping up pretty well.”

“Stan’s a sprinter, Kyle’s got the stamina. Different types.” Kenny grinned as he watched as well.

Tweek looked mildly concerned. “Should we stop them..?”

“Do you wanna get between Kyle and getting his hat back?” Kenny asked.

“... No, not really,” Tweek conceded.

Wendy shook her head. Stan jumped over the fence to the ball field and Kyle pelted right after him. The two of them sprinted past the bleachers, Stan still laughing his ass off and Kyle looking more akin to a feral cat than a high schooler.

“... Is it just me, or is something up with those two?” Tweek asked, tilting his head.

Wendy pursed her lips. “Something’s definitely up. I had to tell Stan today that I’d already found my soulmate. I was so stressed about it I went to Kyle for advice. And you know what happened?”

“He was fine with it?” Kenny asked, raising a brow.

“Yea. He said he was just a little disappointed.” Wendy shook her head, feeling a smile perk at the edge of her lips. “... I think Kyle’s got him really wound up…”

“Craig!” Tweek yelped out. “Aren’t you gonna practice?”

Wendy turned to see Craig hop over the fence and sit beside his boyfriend. “No. Stan’s kinda ruined that today. Moron.”

Kenny cackled. “If I didn’t think Kyle would strangle me, I totally would burn that thing. Wendy, on behalf of every androsexual in the school,  _ thank you _ for your service.”

Tweek snickered as he leaned into Craig’s arms. “Gotta admit, he does look pretty damn good in those new clothes. No wonder Stan’s tilted.”

Craig shrugged the shoulder Tweek wasn’t on. “If I wasn’t taken, I might’ve been interested. Buuuuut I’m not. Doesn’t Butters ever get bothered by you being so…” Craig waved a hand in Kenny’s direction.

“Not really. As long as I’m not actually doing anything with someone else, I can say whatever the hell I want. Which isn’t exactly hard, I mean, it’s mostly hot air.” Kenny shook his head. “Looking is fun enough, but playing with Butters is much more fun.”

“Ew.” Tweek snickered. “You two are gross.”

“Pot, kettle,” Kenny replied. “Aaaanyway, I wouldn’t be surprised if Kyle’s Mark showed up on Stan. I mean, I always figured it would, but it seems even more obvious now.”

“They have been close for a long time,” Craig mused, resting his cheek on Tweek’s head. His expression and voice were still impassive, but there was a faint interest there. “And considering last week…”

“Last week?” Wendy asked. “What do you mean?”

“Never mind. It’s not something I should be talking about. Just know that yea, I’m thinking it’s likely. And even if it’s not, they’re close as fuck,” Craig replied. “Besides the whole clothing situation, this is just kinda how they’ve always been, isn’t it?”

Kenny nodded. “Which is exactly why I thought from the start they were soulmates.”

Wendy hummed in thought. When she thought about it… It was true. They’d always been best friends, Kyle and Stan. They’d always been really close, messing around and hanging out and-

Stan stumbled back as Kyle leaped on him, legs wrapping around Stan’s chest as he yanked the hat away with a victorious cry. They both crashed to the ground.

… And doing stupid shit like that.

Wendy shook her head. She wondered if she and Stan had only thought they’d be soulmates due to the time they’d spent dating. They were good together, but… She was happier with her Mark, and she knew that, whether it ended up being Kyle or not, Stan would be happier with his. And they could remain friends.

Wendy smiled as she watched Kyle get up and yell at Stan some more before deflating and throwing the hat back in his face, sitting down to catch his breath. Stan just kept laying on the grass, laughing.

* * *

Stan was riding a high this week. He just felt  _ good _ .

Craig was right, it was fine not knowing, it felt better to accept that Stan just didn’t really know exactly what was going on. He let it be, it existed, and it felt good.

And the weirdest thing was, things were just… normal. Well, mostly.

Yea, Stan was still resisting the urge to stare at his Mark. Stan still had no idea whether it was because it was Kyle or because he had a fetish, hell, maybe it was both, but he knew he probably shouldn’t stare so much. And he did try to encourage Kyle not to worry so much about dressing differently now. Kyle had even begun wearing his hat a little less. Not much less, but… less.

Stan bounced as he got out of class, heading to his locker and tossing his books in. Class sucked but who gave a damn.

“Whoa dude, are you okay?” Token asked with a chuckle. “You’re practically skipping.”

“Am not, fuck you. What’s up?” Stan asked as he kicked the locker door shut.

Token chuckled. “Party tomorrow, Clyde and I got permission to throw one at that old barn at the edge of town, but only for Saturday. It’s gonna be wild, most likely.”

“Yesssss, everyone’s invited huh?” Stan grinned.

“Other than the usual suspects, but you know.” Token shrugged. “You in? We could use some help pitching in for food.”

“Oh yea, what should I bring?”

Token considered it. “I don’t think anyone’s covering s’mores yet, we’re gonna have a bonfire.”

“Oh this is gonna be  _ awesome _ , I’ll get Kyle to help me.” Stan was practically bouncing on his heels.

“Dude, you are way too buzzed up for just hearing about this party.” Token chuckled, raising a brow. “Seriously, what’s gotten into you? Did you get your Mark?”

“Nope. It’s nothing really. I’ll see you there, alright?” Stan gave him a little wave before heading off toward Kyle’s locker. Token was probably right, he was way too jacked up. Maybe he had too much coffee this morning. Oh well.

“Kyle! Wendy!” Stan grinned as he approached. “Party this weekend at the old barn!”

Kyle blinked in surprise, then smiled faintly. “Oh yea? That should be interesting.”

“Oh yea! I heard it through the grapevine, Clyde and Token are hosting it.” Wendy giggled. “Apparently Clyde’s  _ really _ gonna get his soulmate to show up this time~”

“Oh jeez, the one from… Where was it, New York?” Stan asked.

Kyle shook his head. “Ohio, or so he claims.”

“Oh the soulmate part is real,” Wendy said confidently. “It’s the getting them to show up part that’s hard.”

“Wait, Clyde’s not lying?” Kyle asked in surprise. “I totally thought he was bullshitting everyone.”

Wendy shook her head. “No, I know them. Actually, you’ve met them before, when we were kids. But I guess you two don’t remember. Most don’t. It was crazy while they were around, but it’s always crazy around here.”

Stan raised a brow. “You’re not gonna let on who it is, are you?”

“Sorry, they did ask me not to,” Wendy admitted. “Anyway, I’ll definitely be there.”

“Alright, alright. Token asked me to bring s’mores supplies, I told him I’d drag Kyle into helping.”

Kyle groaned. “Of course you did. Fine, but  _ you _ get the marshmallows, asshole. And make sure you get extra, some won’t wanna go full on s’mores.”

“Crazy people,” Stan said, shaking his head.

Wendy giggled. “How about I grab chocolate and you get the graham crackers, Kyle?”

“Sounds good to me.” Kyle closed his locker.

“Sweet. See you there! Or, wait, do either of you need to be picked up?” Stan asked.

“Nah, I can get there fine,” Kyle replied.

Wendy shook her head. “I’ll be fine, I’ll probably come with Bebe.”

“Cool. See you tomorrow, then!” Stan waved and jogged off, planning on heading to the store right away. If everyone was coming, he was going to need to get a lot of marshmallows.


	3. Chapter 3

Kyle groaned as he looked himself over in the mirror. This was stupid. What was he even doing this for? Who cared what he looked like for this damn party?

The problem was that Kyle cared, he cared a lot. Because he wanted to look good and feel good, and perhaps maybe even get Stan’s attention. Further. Because he kind of already had it, to be fair. But it was still the same old Stan, with a touch of weirdness about his new wardrobe. Which brought him back to this, trying to figure out an outfit for the party.

“I dunno, Ike. It looks okay but I also kinda feel like a slut.”

“Well you look like a slut, so…” Ike was bored out of his mind. Kyle felt a little bad for pestering Ike into helping, but he was kind of stressed about it. “Why does this even matter? It’s just some party, right?”

“It shouldn’t. It doesn’t. But it does? I don’t know.” Kyle rubbed a hand over his face and turned back to his closet. “Fuck, is this what girls feel like every day?”

“Why don’t you ask Wendy? She helped you pick out all that junk in the first place, right?” Ike asked, voice deadpan.

Kyle paused. “... Why are you always right.”

“Someone in this house has to have sense. I’m going back to my room, my guild’s gonna be online soon.” Ike shook his head and headed out the door, though he paused and leaned back in. “One more thing? Stan’s not gonna give a damn what you’re wearing, he’ll just be happy to see you there.”

Kyle felt his face turn positively scarlet and he spluttered. “I- You- Shut up!”

Ike just laughed and ran back to his room, slamming the door behind him.

Groaning, Kyle let his face drop into his hands. Still, after a moment, he picked up his phone. Was he seriously going to do this? He’d gotten Wendy’s number at some point, but it was rarely used. He’d dialed it a lot more lately than before, but still. He sighed and tapped the contact. It only took a few rings to pick up.

“Kyle? What’s up? We’re just about to head to the party.”

Kyle sighed. “I need your help.”

* * *

Stan grunted as he heaved the grocery bags full of marshmallows onto the outside table. “Think this is enough?”

Clyde cracked up. “Holy  _ shit _ , dude, did you buy out the whole damn store?”

“Just the shelf.” Stan chuckled, glancing to the giant stack of wood. “That bonfire’s gonna be great. So, your Ohio soulmate gonna show up?” he asked teasingly.

Clyde rolled his eyes. “Uhg. I wish they wouldn’t be so secretive, so I could just fucking  _ show _ you guys, but after what happened, I don’t entirely blame them. They’re coming tonight, though, you’ll see!”

“Sure, man. Booze inside the barn?” Stan asked.

“No booze, sorry dude. Thought Token would’ve told you. It was the only way we could get the barn.” Clyde chuckled. “We don’t need booze to make it a great night, man.”

“Nah, but it would make it even better. Ah well.” Stan shrugged. “Kyle show up yet?”

“Haven’t seen him yet. You did get here pretty early.” Clyde chuckled and shook his head. “C’mon, I’ll show you where the snacks and soda and shit are.”

Stan followed, waving to a few of the faces he’d seen so often over the years, growing right alongside him. It was great. Stan snacked while Token and Clyde finished setting up the sound system. There was plenty of room in the middle of the barn for everyone to dance and have fun.

The doors opened again and Stan turned to see who entered. When he spotted them, it felt like he’d been hit by a truck.

Kyle looked… unbelievable. He wore another of those shirts that were too short to cover his stomach, though Stan could swear he saw that in Wendy’s closet once. It was white and sleeveless and had a picture of a sunset upon it. His shorts came to just above his knees, simple jeans that rode low on his hips. A green bandana was tied around his head like a headband, holding back his mess of red curls that flared behind him, almost reminding Stan of a lion’s mane. Bebe and Wendy were with him, presumably arriving at the same time. They had an arm hooked in one another’s and were chattering happily while Kyle looked somewhat awkward.

Stan jogged over. “Hey! That’s, uh… Nice look, Kyle.”

“It’s my fault,” Wendy jumped in with a soft laugh. “Bebe and I were coming to the party and we saw him and just- You should’ve seen what he was wearing, it was intolerable. So we dragged him back and changed his outfit.”

“Wasn’t this shirt yours, Wendy?” Stan asked.

Wendy laughed nervously. “Yea, well- It works well on him, doesn’t it?”

“I still don’t really like this,” Kyle grumbled, obviously flustered.

Stan laughed. “You look  _ fine _ . Better than fine. It’s, uh… Wow.” Stan rubbed his neck. “... Your hair kinda reminds me of your ‘Jersey’ look from when we were kids, if I’m honest.”

Kyle groaned. “Ugh, don’t remind me of  _ that _ . C’mon, I need soda.”

Bebe and Wendy flitted off to talk with some of the other girls and Kyle beelined for the snack table. Stan followed Kyle, letting him down a cup of fruit punch before bothering him further.

“I can’t believe you let them dress you. Can’t argue with the results, though.” Stan shoved his hands in his pocket. He felt a little underdressed in his plain jeans, t-shirt, and blue flannel.

“What is it with you lately? You’re being all… weird about how I’m dressed.”

“Is it that weird to tell you that you look good?”

“You didn’t do it before,” Kyle pointed out.

“And you’ve never dressed like this before,” Stan retorted. “Do you like it?”

Kyle shrugged one shoulder, picking up a cupcake from the table and starting to wander away. “I dunno. It’s… Once I get past my discomfort, it’s kind of okay?”

Stan glanced down as Kyle turned away from him. God, his Mark was so pretty. Kyle glanced back, licking the icing from the cupcake. “... Stan?”

“Heh… Sorry.” Stan rubbed his neck, catching up to Kyle. “... Hey, you wanna dance? There’s a lot more people here now,” he said, motioning to where a dance floor was starting to form.

Kyle considered it for a few moments before stuffing the cupcake in his mouth. Then he tugged Stan onto the makeshift dance floor. Stan laughed as they began to move to the beat of some pop tune currently on the radio, losing themselves in the song.

It was almost too easy. The beat was heavy and solid and pounded through his bones. Kyle seemed to be going with it as well, closing his eyes and moving to the rhythm. It felt amazing to watch him, to move with him.

God, he really was gone, wasn’t he? Stan was so far gone and he was loving every moment. It settled in him warmer than any alcohol and stayed, burning in his chest. Stan took Kyle’s hands and spun them around, Kyle laughing in surprise and opening his eyes. Kyle grinned brightly as they bounded along to the beat, soon taking the lead. Stan followed with a laugh and they got lost in the crowd.

Stan wasn’t sure how long they danced before a slower song came on, interrupting their momentum. Kyle panted as he looked up at Stan, making a bit of a face. “Damn. I’m gonna go check outside,” he said as he made his way out of the crowd.

“I’ll see what the others are doing.” Stan nodded, giving him a little wave. He went to the table and snagged a cup of punch.

Craig was leaning against the table, looking over the crowd. Stan decided to stan with him. Craig gave him a nod. “Hey.”

“Hey Craig. Having fun?” Stan snagged a brownie. 

Craig shrugged. “Enough. Seemed like you were having a good time.” There was a slight smile hidden in his cup.

Stan laughed and shrugged a little. “We were dancing, plenty of people do that at parties. I mean there’s plenty doing it right now.”

“Yea, I guess.” Craig glanced out at the people dancing. “How’ve you been holding up about the whole Kyle thing?”

“Pretty good. I mean, it’s… I still don’t really get it, because really things feel pretty normal, so is that like… Is that us, is there something there, or am I just crazy, I dunno.” Stan shrugged. “But I’m having fun with it.”

“Looks like it. Slightly disappointed in the lack of booze, though.”

“Yea… Ah well.” Stan shrugged and ate the brownie.

* * *

Kyle sighed as he headed outside, stretching his arms over his head. He really needed to cool down after that. Wendy waved him over from where she and Bebe were standing near the giant pile of wood. He jogged over, waving.

“Are they starting the bonfire soon?”

“That’s the plan, but apparently they’re having a little trouble,” Wendy replied.

Clyde groaned as he kicked over one of the wood pieces. “How hard is it to light a giant pile of wood on fire?!”

“Apparently rather difficult,” Bebe replied, chuckling.

Kyle shook his head, smiling a little. He nearly made a suggestion, but was interrupted by a shout behind him.

“If you need help setting something on fire, you only need to ask!”

Clyde’s eyes widened, then his face split into a wide grin. “BRIAR!”

He charged past the rest as they spun around just in time to see him leap into someone’s arms. Kyle raised a brow. “Is that his soulmate?”

Wendy smiled brightly. “Sure is!” she replied and walked toward them. “You finally made it!”

The stranger laughed, squeezing Clyde tightly before putting him down again. He was a rather heavy set guy, dyed green hair in an undercut and glasses perched on his nose. He wore a sleeveless-vest sort of thing and jeans. “Hey Wendy! And… Kyle, is that you?”

Kyle raised a brow. “Have we met..?” They looked vaguely familiar, but Kyle couldn’t place why.

“Well, you never knew me as Briar. But you might remember King Douchebag and Buttlord.” Briar chuckled, placing a hand on his hip.

Kyle’s jaw dropped. “You… Holy shit. Yea, you lived here so short, I never even learned your name, I think.”

“Most didn’t,” Briar conceded. “To be fair, as little as I talked, I don’t think I ever actually told anyone what it was. Plus, I asked Wendy and Clyde to keep it quiet about me until I could actually get here, so I can’t really blame you.” He shrugged.

“Wow, it’s good to see you again. You look…” Kyle glanced him up and down.

“Fat?” Briar provided with an amused smirk.

“Well. I was gonna say well.”

Briar laughed. “Both are true. I got my meds switched and they made me gain a lot of weight, but it’s fine. Hides all the muscle,” he joked, flexing his arms.

Kyle could definitely see there was some underlying strength there, and the confidence was hard to deny. “Good to hear.”

“Heard you got your Mark, by the way. Wendy can never keep her mouth shut,” Briar teased, ignoring Wendy’s indignant protest as he headed toward the pile of wood. He grabbed the box of matches and he looked it over, seemingly fine with continuing the conversation while trying to start a giant fire. “A sun and moon thing?”

“Did she tell you where it is?” Kyle asked, somewhat amused.

“No, where?”

Kyle turned around and showed Briar the small of his back. “Just my luck, really.”

Briar laughed. “Oh hey, we match! Well, location, not Mark.” He turned and tugged his own shirt up a bit, showing the flower and vines mark on the small of his own back, right above his ass.

Laughing, Kyle crossed his arms. “Well, at least I’m not the only one?”

“Yea man, totally. Alright, stand back everyone!”

The group took a few steps back as Briar leaned into the pile. There was a small crack, a puff of smoke, and then the fire started, slowly spreading to the rest of the pile. Clyde cheered. Kyle had a few concerns, but it seemed things were under control. Wendy and Bebe were already grabbing some of the supplies to make s’mores, and Briar returned and placed the matches in Clyde’s hand with a smirk.

“So, any idea who’s got your Mark, Kyle?” Briar asked him.

“I have a hope, but... Y’know.” Kyle shrugged.

“Yea, that’s fair. Well, I’m gonna head inside and see some of the others, maybe we can talk more later!” Briar waved and headed toward the barn.

Clyde sighed dreamily. “Isn’t he perfect…”

“Uh… Sure dude,” Kyle replied, snorting in amusement. “Definitely not who I would’ve expected, but hey, as long as you’re happy.” He wandered over to the table to grab a stick and a marshmallow. He figured he’d roast one before heading inside to find Stan again.

The fire began to crackle as Kyle sat with Wendy and Bebe. Wendy leaned into Bebe, leaving Kyle to raise a brow. “So are you two..?”

Wendy nodded, looking mildly flustered. “Yea. We decided to come together tonight, since I got things over with where Stan is concerned…”

“Nice.” Kyle smiled a little at seeing them cuddled up.

“Hey Kyle, y’know what I think you should do?” Bebe asked, grinning.

Kyle grimaced. “I get the feeling I don’t want to know.”

“You should totally get with Stan tonight. He’s been staring at your ass ever since you got your Mark,” Bebe pointed out.

Wendy lightly smacked her shoulder. “Leave him alone, he’s not like Kenny. He’s not gonna sleep around before finding his partner.”

“I’m not saying sleep around, I’m just saying sleep with Stan.”

Kyle groaned, rubbing a hand over his face. He was mortified. “I’m not sleeping with Stan, Bebe.”

“Fiiiiiine.”

* * *

It was a while before Stan saw Kyle come back in. In the meantime, he chatted with his friends and snooped around the barn and danced a little more. It was nice to see all the familiar faces, including meeting Clyde’s soulmate, though technically it was more of a reunion there.

When Kyle returned to the barn, munching on a s’more, Stan jogged over to him. “Hey! Bonfire going already?”

“Yea, people are already making s’mores if you want one.” Kyle licked his lips to clear away the chocolate and marshmallow, sending a sharp little chill down Stan’s spine. Wow.

Stan pushed it aside. “I’ll grab one later. I wanna show you something I found.”

Kyle ate the last bite of s’more and nodded. “Lead the way, then,” he said once he’d swallowed it down.

Stan motioned for him to follow and headed toward the ladder up to the loft. There were a few others up there, cuddling or chatting and Stan could swear he heard some hidden pair making out, but he ignored it in favor of hopping up onto one of the rafters and opening a hidden hatch in the roof. He climbed up onto the roof, turning back to give Kyle a hand. When they were both out, Stan closed the latch and shifted over to a section that was flatter, with a great view of the bonfire below and the rolling valley beyond.

“Whoa…” Kyle murmured as he came to rest beside Stan. “What a view.”

“Right?” Stan laid back. “And with such a clear night, it’ll be fantastic for seeing the stars.” The sun was setting, so it wouldn’t be long before the first specks of light began to appear.

Kyle chuckled and turned to lay on his stomach, resting his head in his folded arms. “Honestly, I just kinda want to take a nap right here. Wendy and Bebe are exhausting.”

Stan chuckled, looking Kyle over from the corner of his eye. It felt good, being here with him. He laid down on his back, sighing in content. “This is good.”

“Mhm. Roof’s still warm from the sun, but not too hot to lay on.”

Stan snorted, remembering Kyle definitely wasn’t thinking about the same as he was. “You’re a giant fucking cat.”

“Am not,” Kyle replied, voice a touch petulant.

“Yes you are.” Stan laughed a bit more.

Kyle pushed himself up and shifted to lean over Stan, jabbing him in the chest. “If I’m a cat, the fuck does that make you?”

That bandana did a great job of keeping Kyle’s hair out of his face. He didn’t seem to even remember he wasn’t wearing his hat. Maybe that was the trick to it, keeping it away so he didn’t overthink it so much. Stan smiled lazily. “I dunno. Dog, I guess?”

Kyle shook his head with a sigh. “Ridiculous. That’s what you are.”

“... And yet you’re here.”

Stan couldn’t blame Kyle for looking somewhat surprised at that. Kyle shifted, expression a little awkward. “Well… Yea? Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I dunno.” Stan’s chest felt warm. Everything felt warm.

“Dude, are you feeling okay? You’re acting super weird.” Kyle reached up, frowning as he felt over Stan’s forehead.

Heart pounding in his chest, Stan nodded slightly. “I’m not sick again, promise. Just kinda enjoying this, you know? You and me.”

Kyle’s hand was removed from his head, settling on Stan’s chest, right over his heart. “I guess… Getting sentimental or something?” Kyle asked with a slight smile.

“Maybe.” Stan watched Kyle move away to lay down again, then closed his eyes. “A nap sounds kinda nice, actually. Little cat nap.”

Kyle snorted. “Shut up before I smack you.”

* * *

Craig lifted the hatch, looking around. Scott had said he’d seen Stan and Kyle head up to the roof, so where-

Ah. He spotted them on a flatter section of roof, both asleep. No wonder they’d disappeared for an hour. Craig snorted and climbed up, walking over to nudge them with his toe. “Oi, wake up.”

Kyle jolted a bit and turned over, sitting up. “Huh? Oh shit, how long was I out?”

“You’ve been missing for an hour-ish, so probably about that long,” Craig replied.

Stan groaned. “C’mon, I was having a good dream…”

“Yea, well, you’d bitch more if you missed the whole damn party because you guys decided to nap like kindergartners. C’mon, we’re gonna play strip poker if you wanna join in.”

Kyle raised a brow. “Strip poker..?”

“Yea. You coming?”

Grimacing, Kyle stood and stretched. “No thanks. I’m gonna go back to the fire.”

“I’ll join!” Stan chimed in as he got up. “Sounds like fun.”

Kyle made a face before heading back down, Stan following Craig back. While Kyle headed outside, Craig led Stan to a corner of the loft where Tweek, Kenny, and Jimmy were already sitting.

“Alright, we play with chips, when you go bust you have to remove an article of clothing,” Kenny explained, setting the rules. “Both socks count as one item.”

“Wuh-What if you lose eveh-everything?” Jimmy asked.

Kenny grinned. “Whoever ends up naked first has to go over to Cartman’s and moon him.”

Tweek groaned. “Seriously?”

Stan laughed. “I’m in.”

Craig shook his head slightly as Kenny started dealing, the game kicking off fast. Tweak was definitely cheating, Craig knew- He always cheated at card games if he was playing with anyone but Craig alone, he’d fully admitted to it. Craig just had no idea how he did it or got away with it. No one that twitchy should be that sly. And Craig was fairly certain Kenny was losing on purpose, because he was losing chips fast and it was Kenny, really. Not that Craig himself was doing much better. He went out right after Kenny and ended up tossing his socks and shoes off to the side, a bit grumpy. His only solace was watching Tweek kick everyone’s asses.

Stan laughed as Tweek finally busted him out, pulling off his own socks. “Damn, you’re good at this, Tweek.”

Tweek snickered, glancing conspiratorially at Craig. Craig stifled a snicker as he took the deck to deal this time. Crag tried his best to figure out what the hell Tweek was doing, but he just couldn’t catch it. They continued on, and this time, Stan was the first to bust out.

“Fuck.” Stan groaned and let his head fall back. “I’m bad at this.”

“Y-You kinda are,” Jimmy agreed with a snicker.

Craig chuckled and took a drink of his soda as Stan tugged off his shirt. Suddenly, Tweek was elbowing him sharply. Craig coughed a bit as he choked on his drink, putting it down. “What, what is it?”

Tweek said nothing, just glancing nervously at Stan. Craig followed his gaze and felt the words die in his throat. Kenny and Jimmy seemed to have spotted it as well, if Kenny’s cackling and Jimmy’s slack-jawed stare was anything to go by. Stan looked around the group in confusion. “What?”

There, right over Stan’s heart, was a Mark. A sun and moon, stylized. Craig shook his head.

“I fucking called it!” Kenny hooted, slapping his cards onto the floor of the loft.

“I guh-guess it’s not  _ that _ surprising,” Jimmy mused.

Stan’s brows furrowed. “What are you talking about?”

“Stan.” Craig pointed toward his own chest with a slight smirk.

Looking confused a moment longer, Stan looked down at his chest, then froze. “... Oh shit. Oh  _ shit. _ ”

Kenny was on his back, rolling in laughter. Tweek shook his head a little and leaned into Craig’s side. “Well, I saw it coming, but still.”

Stan was clearly reeling. Then he grabbed his shirt, yanking it back on. As he tied his flannel around his waist, he looked at them all. “None of you say a  _ word _ , got it?”

“Gonna handle it yourself?” Craig smirked and leaned his head on Tweek’s.

“Yea, I- Holy shit, what do I  _ say? _ ”

“Maybe just show it to him and go from there?” Tweek suggested.

“Yea. Yea that’s- That’s a good idea.” Stan was already scrambling for the ladder, clearly only barely listening to them now.

Kenny’s laughter finally died down and he sat up, wiping a tear from his eye. “Shit, did you see his face?”

Jimmy and Tweek laughed while Craig rolled his eyes, silently wishing Stan luck. He figured it would turn out well, all things considered, but it couldn’t hurt.

* * *

Stan couldn’t get down fast enough.

It was Kyle, Kyle’s Mark was on Stan’s chest, it was  _ Kyle _ . And sure, Stan had wondered, hoped even, but to have it happen was something else. He wondered if this was how Craig had felt, and suddenly couldn’t blame him for his reaction. Stan figured he’d refrain from tackling Kyle like Craig had Tweek, but still. He ran outside toward the bonfire, the last place he knew Kyle was heading.

“Kyle? Kyle!” he called, looking around and frowning when he didn’t see the other. “Wendy? Where’s Kyle?”

“Oh!” Wendy jumped in surprise, turning to Stan. “He headed home- Clyde and Kyle were messing around with the fire and Kyle ended up getting a burn on his arm. He went home so they could check it out and see if he needed to go to the hospital.”

Fear struck through Stan. “Oh fuck, was it really bad?”

Wendy shook her head. “No, no, from what I saw it’s probably just gonna need wrapped up and lotioned while it heals. No horrible disfigurements or anything. Did you need him for something?”

“Yes, it’s- Shit. I’m gonna head over to Kyle’s.” Stan couldn’t wait, he had to go now, to make sure Kyle was okay and to tell him the truth.

“Stan, he’s fine, I swear. I doubt he’d want you to leave just for this,” Wendy said, placing a hand on his arm.

Stan shook his head. “No, I have to, it’s- I’ll explain later, okay?”

Understanding dawned on Wendy’s face, and she smiled in amusement. “Okay. Here, s’more for the road? I don’t think you’ve gotten one yet.” She offered the one she’d been about to eat. “I can make another for myself.”

Stan grinned, taking the s'more and kissing her temple. “You’re the best. Thanks Wendy!” 

He took off running down the road, taking a bite of the s’more as he went. It probably would’ve been faster to find someone to drive him, but he didn’t think he could sit still in a car at that moment, so he just ran.

By the time he got to Kyle’s, he was out of breath and the s’more was gone. Maybe eating and running at the same time hadn’t been a great idea, but there was no point in regretting it now. He did his best to catch his breath before knocking on the door.

Sheila opened the door, looking surprised. “Stan? What are you doing here?”

“Heard Kyle got hurt. Is he okay?”

Kyle walked to the door, brows furrowed in confusion. His right forearm was wrapped in gauze, but he looked fine. “Did you seriously run all the way here? I’m fine, Stan.”

“Wendy said you’d got hurt, I just… needed to make sure.” Stan rubbed his neck, feeling awkward. Now that he thought about it, it was a little dumb.

“I was just about to drive him back to the party,” Sheila said. “No more getting near the fire, though, okay?”

“Okay, okay. C’mon, Stan. Idiot.” He lightly cuffed Stan’s shoulder before heading to the car.

Stan followed after, words caught in his throat. He didn’t want to say anything with Kyle’s mom around, and he just feels kind of ridiculous and deflated and also a little exhausted from running at least a mile or so, he’s not all that sure.

Kyle looked back, raising a brow. “Are you coming? Or are you just gonna run back?” he asked teasingly.

And suddenly the party is the last place Stan wants to be right now. He loved the music and lights but the people- he doesn’t want them around for this. “... Can we talk?”

Kyle’s smile disappeared. “Is everything okay, dude?”

“Yea. I just wanna talk with you. Alone?” Stan glanced at Sheila.

Thankfully, she took the hint and went back inside, telling Kyle to get her if they still needed the ride. Kyle frowned as he approached Stan again. Stan took his wrist and tugged him toward the door, planning to head up to his room. Thankfully Kyle didn’t protest, and his parents weren’t really paying attention, so he was able to drag Kyle upstairs without incident.

Kyle shut the door behind them. “Y’know, you’re really not helping me not worry about what’s going on, here.”

Stan took a deep breath. “It’s fine. I just…” Oh god he felt so nauseous. It was getting dark and Kyle was standing in his room and why had he thought this was a good idea?

“Stan?” Kyle took a step forward, looking concerned. “Hey… C’mon dude, whatever it is, I’m sure it’s fine.”

“Dance with me.”

Stan has no idea what made him say it, but he did. Kyle looked justifiably confused. “What?”

“Just… Dance with me.” Stan tugged out his phone and turned on some slow song before setting it on his dresser and holding a hand out for Kyle.

His heart was pounding in his chest as Kyle took his hand, and Stan placed his other hand on Kyle’s waist. Kyle’s free hand rested on his chest, right over his heart. Right over his Mark. Stan wondered if Kyle felt it. Slowly, they turned, Kyle still looking confused and worried and mildly flustered.

Stan didn’t know what he was doing, or what Kyle was thinking, all words were dying in his throat in a wave of nausea and anxiety. Dancing was just buying time, but it wasn’t really helping him think. He was completely at a loss.

* * *

Stan was acting  _ weird. _

Kyle was definitely a little freaked out. It felt like a culmination of the past few weeks, somehow, especially when Stan’s fingers shifted from his waist to curl into the small of his back. Right over his Mark. It sent a chill up Kyle’s spine.

Stan looked so nervous, too. Perplexed and worried and a little sick, for reasons Kyle just couldn’t place. Finally, however, when the first song ended and another soft slow beat took its place, he spoke.

“I like this.”

Kyle stopped their turn, tilting his head. “It’s… weird. But I guess it’s kind of nice.”

Stan sighed, head dropping a bit as he closed his eyes. “I wasn’t sick from food poisoning last week. Or a stomach bug. Well, I  _ was  _ sick from food poisoning over the weekend but it had cleared up when I came back to school.”

“Okay…”

“I was sick because I was freaking out. I was thinking and feeling things that I didn’t understand and didn’t want to acknowledge and I ended up having a damn panic attack at Craig’s house because he understood and that scared me.” It seemed that when he started speaking, Stan couldn’t stop. His voice was still even, but his shoulders were shaking slightly. “He helped me. Showed me it was fine that I didn’t understand it, it just… was.”

Kyle frowned. Stan had a panic attack? And he went to  _ Craig? _ Kyle knew he was being ridiculous, but the revelation hurt a little. “You seemed pretty fine this week. Better than fine, even.”

“I was. I am. It felt like everything is different but it’s all the same still? You have your Mark and you’re dressing differently but it’s still… You.” Stan opened his eyes, smiling sheepishly. “I know I’m not making sense.”

“You kind of are. I’m just not sure what you’re trying to get at.” Kyle returned the smile, albeit weakly.

Stan nodded. “It’s… Here, look at us.” Stan turned them and looked in the mirror. 

Kyle followed his gaze, seeing them standing so close together. Stan’s hand curled into the small of his back, Kyle’s on Stan’s chest, their other hands clasped together.

“This is different. It’s new, but at the same time… is it?”

Kyle raised a brow, looking at Stan in the mirror. “Uh… Yes? We don’t really slow dance, Stan.”

“No, but being physical… We’ve always been dragging each other around and hugging and whatever since we were kids. It’s just kind of… a side step, y’know?”

Kyle could see the reasoning. “Okay.” He turned to look up at Stan again, letting him continue.

“Your mark appeared,” Stan said, still looking at the two of them in the mirror. “I didn’t think anything of it, at first. But Craig said something that day, when he got his Mark. Before I noticed it and pointed it out to him, I mean. He talked about… Like, when he saw Tweek’s Mark, whenever he looked at it he just knew.”

Kyle swallowed, his mouth suddenly dry. Was Stan trying to say something about his Mark? “Did you..?”

Stan smiled weakly as he finally turned back to Kyle. “No. But things changed. I couldn’t keep my eyes off your Mark. And you wearing those sorts of clothes didn’t help.”

Groaning, Kyle rolled his eyes. “Blame Wendy. I know you’re saying it looks good, but honestly I don’t like it. Not for regular daily shit.”

Stan chuckled. “Once I stopped freaking out about it, I realized… It wasn’t all that different. We were still us. And I… I like us. I don’t want that to change, really.”

“Oh.” Kyle frowned. “I’m… I’m sorry, I really don’t get what you’re trying to get at. You’re really dancing around the point, aren’t you.”

Stan laughed. “I should’ve just followed Tweek’s advice in the first place.”

Before Kyle could ask why Stan was apparently getting advice from Tweek of all people, Stan let him go and stepped back. The flannel was tossed onto the bed and he reached behind himself, yanking his shirt off.

Kyle’s breath caught in his throat. He’d suspected, with all of Stan’s weird rambling, but seeing it was something else. Stan took Kyle’s hand again and placed it beside the Mark, wrapping a hand around to touch Kyle’s once more. Kyle looked up at Stan again, seeing his faint smile.

“Stan… What do you mean by not wanting us to change? Do you not want..?”

Stan’s eyes widened in alarm. “No! I mean yes! I- I’m happy. This is good, I want… I want this. I want us. What I’m trying to say is that… This isn’t new? We’ve been us for a long time.”

Well that was a relief, at least. Kyle traced the edge of the Mark with his fingers, lips pursed. “Yea?”

Nodding, Stan continued on. “The more I think about it, I just… I thought I’d be with Wendy because when we were dating, we were kinda good. But that’s not really Soulmates. You and me, we’ve never been perfect, there’s been times we’ve been outright awful to each other, but overall… We’ve been good.”

Kyle laughed softly. “You’re so fucking weird sometimes.” But he understood what Stan was trying to say. They’ve been close friends all their lives, with highs and lows and everything in between, and that was how friends were. “I want to stay us too.”

“Good.” Stan sighed, relief flooding between them. “I do want to… Like, I’m not against romantic stuff, obviously, I just… don’t think we need to focus on it?”

“Just do what feels natural,” Kyle agreed and leaned forward, their foreheads resting together. “Can I confess something?”

“What?”

“I’ve had a crush on you for like… Two years now? Maybe longer, that’s just when I figured it out for sure.”

Stan laughed, pulling him closer. “I think, if what I’m feeling is love… I’ve loved you since the start. Is that weird?”

“... Nah. You’re weird, though.” Kyle snickered as Stan stuck his tongue out at him. “You’re a fucking weirdo, Stan.”

“Yea, well, you’re stuck with me, so I guess you’ll have to deal with it.” Stan started to spin them again.

They fell quiet as they just kept dancing to the soft songs, and Kyle closed his eyes. He’d always imagined Stan finding out his feelings would be a lot more dramatic and conflicted and terrible, but it was all in his head. And in reality, it didn’t change a ton at all. Sure they’d be doing a bit more romantic things now, but it didn’t feel so much a change as simply a natural step forward.

“Should we go back to the party? The night’s still young,” Stan asked, tilting his head.

“Absolutely. I have not had enough s’mores yet,” Kyle replied with a grin.

Stan cracked up. “Dude, how many s’mores have you had already?”

“Not enough,” Kyle repeated. “But first, I’m changing out of this damn thing. I feel like a slut, wearing it around everyone.”

“Aw…” Stan pouted as Kyle pulled away. “I don’t think you look like a slut. Just really attractive.”

Kyle snorted, shaking his head. “I’m not getting rid of it. Well, I need to give this shirt back to Wendy, but the others I have like it. I’ll just wear them for sleepovers and dates or whatever.”

Stan cheered, making Kyle roll his eyes, though he still smiled. Moron. “C’mon, I’ll change real quick and then my mom can drive us back.”

“Alright.” Stan turned off the music and pocketed his phone, yanking his shirts back on as Kyle left.

Kyle tossed the sunset shirt on his own bed and grabbed a regular graphic tee out of his closet, tugging it on. He caught sight of himself in the mirror and was suddenly reminded that he wasn’t wearing his hat. He’d completely forgotten about it, and wearing the bandana kind of camouflaged the awareness that it wasn’t there. He nearly took it off, but… Kyle bit his lip, considering it. While he was going back to his usual style, maybe this was one change that could stay.

“Mom, we’re ready to go, can you still drive us?” he called as he bounded down the stairs.

“Sure, honey, just give me a moment to grab my keys. Actually, would you rather just take the car yourself? You’ll be staying rather late, right?” she asked, reaching the foot of the stairs at the same time as Kyle.

“Yea, that’d be good if we can.” Kyle took the offered keys. “Thanks.”

“Is everything alright with you and Stan?” she asked, her smile not hiding her concern.

Kyle chuckled. “Yea, it’s fine. Better than fine, really.”

“Alright. Stay safe, don’t play with the fire again, and all the usual.” Sheila pat his head before heading back to the couch.

Kyle chuckled. “See you later!” He jogged outside, jangling the keys at Stan, who was waiting by the car. “I got permission to drive us.”

“Nice.” Stan hopped into the passenger seat.

Kyle climbed in and started the car, carefully backing out and driving them toward the farm. What focus he didn’t spend on driving was used simply marveling at what had happened, and how easy it all felt. Things hadn’t changed, just shifted slightly. And it was perfect.

“Should we like… Tell everyone?”

Stan groaned in realization. “Right… Well, Craig, Tweek, Jimmy, and Kenny already know. I told them not to say anything, but…”

“Once he realizes we’re gone, Kenny’s announcing that shit to everyone.” Kyle shook his head. Kenny was probably his second closest friend behind Stan, but sometimes, that guy drove him crazy.

“Ah well. Guess it saves us the trouble?”

Kyle considered it. “... I think if anyone bothers us about it, I’m just gonna flip them off.”

Stan laughed loudly. “Y’know what, that sounds like a plan. I’m totally going with that.”

They spent the rest of the drive bullshitting about whatever they felt like, and when they got to the barn, Stan hooked his arm around Kyle’s. Kyle stuffed his hands in his pockets and headed straight for the fire, yelling at Clyde that he owed him a good roasted marshmallow for burning his arm. Stan laughed at Clyde’s blubbering and Kyle could see Wendy grinning at them out of the corner of his eye and it was just  _ good. _

They spent most of the rest of the night with one another. True to his word, Kyle flipped the bird to anyone who asked, and Stan echoed him for the most part, when he wasn’t laughing about it. They got varying reactions to that, which was fun. Wendy seemed half offended and half amused, Craig flipped them back while Tweek facepalmed, and Kenny cackled.

“Hey Stan, gonna come moon Cartman with me?” Kenny asked when they’d gone to grab some snacks.

Kyle’s brows furrowed in confusion. “Wait, moon Cartman?”

“The loser of strip poker was supposed to go moon Cartman. Why me?” Stan asked, tilting his head.

“Well, I actually lost and you bailed early.” Kenny grinned.

Kyle facepalmed. “Oh for the love of-”

“Sorry Ken, not tonight. Maybe later?”

Kenny laughed again and walked away, waving over his shoulder. “I’ll hold you to that!”

Kyle elbowed Stan. “Why did you agree to that?”

Stan shrugged. “I dunno, should be funny.”

Kyle leaned against Stan’s side, shaking his head a little. “You’re a moron. I see why Tweek does this so much with Craig, though. It feels nice.”

Grinning, Stan wrapped a loose arm around his waist. “Better?”

“Mm… Sure.”

The party was even better with Stan as his soulmate rather than just his best friend. Dancing especially, as they were able to do much more without it being weird. Mostly slow dancing, really. They attempted dirty dancing and both broke down laughing, unable to take it all that seriously.

It felt good.

By the time people really started leaving and the bonfire was dying down, Kyle was exhausted, but in a good way. Stan yawned and leaned his head on Kyle’s shoulders.

“We should get going before we pass out.” Kyle glanced up at Stan.

“Yea…”

“Sleepover at my place?”

“Sure, I’ll text my mom.”

Kyle smiled. Stan pulled off of him and grabbed his phone, sending off the text while they shuffled back to Kyle’s mom’s car. Kyle was at least still awake enough to drive, but Stan passed out in the seat after a few moments. Kyle had to nudge him awake when they got back, and he groaned, but shuffled out of the car.

Collapsing into bed was easy. “... Have we always shared?” Stan mumbled out, hands folded over his chest.

Kyle thought about it for a moment before shrugging. “We haven’t had a sleepover with just us in at least three years. But when we did, yea.”

Morning was fairly normal. Stan had taken up most of the bed and drooled on the pillow, Kyle was feeling sick from eating way too many sweets at the party, and both of their phones had been blown up with pictures from the party. Ike called them gross, and Stan went back home after breakfast. Kyle got told off for eating marshmallows since they technically weren’t kosher, Kyle blew it off, Ike called him a moron, and Kyle wondered if he was that bad when he was Ike’s age. The answer was usually yes.

School was weird for a few days, but people got bored quickly enough when they realized Stan and Kyle were still Stan and Kyle and not a ton had changed despite being soulmates. Kyle was just glad to not have people staring at him anymore.

“I still think you looked a helluva lot better in what Wendy suggested,” Bebe complained at lunch, freely sitting with Wendy now.

“I kept it, I’m just not wearing that shit to school anymore,” Kyle pointed out, leaning into Stan’s side. “That does remind me, though- Wendy, can you show me how you did that bandana thing on Saturday?”

Wendy looked surprised. “Oh, sure, if you want. Did you like it after all?”

“I wanna wear the hats less and the bandana is enough for me not to notice it as much. Wear hats nonstop most of your life and you kinda notice when you’re not wearing them.”

Stan snickered and wrapped an arm around Kyle, squeezing lightly. “I swear, he looked like a lion. Didn’t he?”

Wendy considered it. “... You know, yea, I can see the resemblance.”

Kyle snorted and elbowed Stan. “You’re ridiculous.”

Things had changed, sure, but it was for the better. He and Wendy were sort of friends now, or at least on friendly terms, Wendy seemed happier overall, as did Stan, and Kyle even found himself tolerating Bebe’s presence for the time being.

“Hey… Kyle, can I try something?” Stan asked after school, at Kyle’s locker to pester him into coming to practice, not that he ever needed to.

Kyle finished putting his books away before looking up. “What is it?”

Stan leaned in, lightly kissing Kyle. Kyle could feel his face turn scarlet, but he leaned into it anyway. Stan pulled back after a few moments, expression thoughtful.

Kyle raised a brow, stifling a laugh. “What was that for?”

“Just wanted to try it. Kissing isn’t as good as people make it out to be,” Stan mused, chuckling.

Shaking his head, Kyle closed his locker. “What, does that mean you don’t like kissing me?”

Stan grinned wider and boxed Kyle in with his arms. “Now I never said that.”

“I swear to fuck if you guys start making out, I’m gonna puke,” came Craig’s deadpan voice.

Kyle rolled his eyes as he turned to see Craig standing nearby, arms crossed as Tweek threw Kyle an apologetic look beside him.

Stan pulled away anyway. “C’mon, let’s go before Craig gets his briefs in a bunch.”

“Excuse you, I don’t fucking wear briefs.”

“Oh, going commando today?”

Kyle rolled his eyes, following the two as they broke into a pointless argument. As he sat on the bleachers again, opening a game on his phone, he glanced up. Tweek had some school work out, Kenny was lounging around as usual, and Wendy was approaching, a few bandanas visible in her hands. Stan and Craig were on the field, throwing baseballs in a clear attempt to hit each other, both failing as the other was too practiced at catching.

The more things changed, the more they stayed the same. All in all, it was pretty good.


End file.
